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The various types of Dogon masks

Conversations With Ogotemmeli

The various types of Dogon masks

The Dogon people are an ethnic group in Mali, West Africa, known for their unique art, including their masks. The Dogon masks are believed to have spiritual significance and are used in various traditional ceremonies and rituals.

There are several types of Dogon masks, each with its own meaning and purpose. More than eighty types of African Dogon  masks have been identified.

Here are some of the most common types of Dogon masks:

Kanaga Mask: The Kanaga mask is one of the most well-known Dogon masks. These masks are characterized by a wooden superstructure in the form of a double-barred cross with short vertical elements projecting from the tips of each horizontal bar. Kanaga masks are worn at rituals called dama, whose goal is to transport the souls of deceased family members away from the village and to enhance the prestige of the deceased   It was first believed that mask represents a bird, the Dogon's mythical ancestor, but Griaule the french anthropologist discovered the deeper meaning of the kanaga mask apparently pertains both to God, the crossbars being his arms and legs, and to the arrangement of the universe, with the upper crossbar representing the sky and the lower one the earth. . The mask is believed to have the power to connect the living with the spiritual world.

Satimbe Mask: The Satimbe mask is a female mask that represents the spirit of agriculture and fertility.Dogon Satimbe masks are surmounted by female figures, commemorating a mythological woman who first discovered and wore a mask. According to myth, her husband stole this mask, and from that time on Dogon women have been prohibited from wearing or coming close in contact with masks.

Dama Mask: dama is a collective funerary rite for Dogon men.  The Dama mask is used in funeral ceremonies to honor the deceased. It is a tall, narrow mask that represents the spirit of the deceased and is believed to help guide them to the afterlife.

Conversations With Ogotemmeli
Conversations With Ogotemmeli: An Introduction to Dogon Religious Ideas

The society of the masks is a picture of the whole world. For all men, all activities, all crafts, all ages, all foreigners, all animals can be carved as masks or woven into hoods.

—Ogotemmêli, a Dogon elder, quoted in Marcel Griaule’s Conversations with Ogotemmêli (1948)

Sigui Mask: The Sigui mask is used in a ceremony that last 7 years and that celebrates the end of a 60-year cycle in the Dogon calendar. The Great Sigui Mask is carved from a single piece of wood and measures several meters in length. It looks like a plank with a mask sculpted at its lower end. It is not meant to be worn. The mask is made up of several different parts, each representing different elements of Dogon cosmology.

Sirige Mask: The Sirige mask is used in a ceremony that honors the spirit of the ancestors. It is a wooden helmet-like mask with a small, circular face, and is believed to have the power to protect the living from evil spirits.

Samana Dogon Warrior Mask: Also named ‘the hunter mask'  this mask would hold the nyama of the deceased ancestor.

Each of these masks is unique and has its own meaning and significance in Dogon culture. They are highly respected and are an important part of the Dogon people's cultural heritage.

Samo Dogon mask: A Dogon dancing mask, representing a Samo, a member of a neighboring ethnic group with a reputation for aggressive, warlike behavior.

 

Dogon mask
A Dogon Samana mask from David Norden's collection

Each of these masks is unique and has its own meaning and significance in Dogon culture. They are highly respected and are an important part of the Dogon people's cultural heritage.

Do not miss our Samo Dogon mask

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